Everton picked up a historic win against Manchester United at Old Trafford last night.
David Moyes’ side had to suffer for large periods of the game as they went down to 10 men inside the opening 15 minutes.
Idrissa Gana Gueye slapped Michael Keane, and referee Tony Harrington deemed it as violent conduct, so he was sent off.
Idrissa Gana Gueye’s sending off is only the third time a player has been red carded for striking his own teammate. The most infamous incident was Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer both being sent off for Newcastle vs Aston Villa in 2005, whilst Stoke City’s Ricardo Fuller had a similar fate for acting out against Andy Griffin in 2008.
Manchester United v Everton - Premier League
Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Gueye has since apologised to Keane, and Moyes poured cold water on the incident after the game, admitting he quite liked to see how much it meant to his players.
Thankfully, that moment of madness didn’t affect the scoreline, and now former Everton star Wayne Rooney has named his Man of the Match for the game.
Everton star Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall celebrates scoring vs Manchester United
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Wayne Rooney hails Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s display vs Man United
Speaking to the Premier League website, Rooney heaped praise on the matchwinner Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and labelled him ‘excellent’.
“I think he’s been excellent for Everton this season, his energy, his creativity as well,” the 40-year-old explained.
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Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall silences his critics
“It’s a good pass from James Garner, but then that willingness to drive at defenders and get them to make decisions. He gets the shot off, and it’s a really good finish.
“He deserves it because his overall game has been excellent.”
Dewsbury-Hall thanked Everton fans after the game for their amazing away support, which he said is now a ‘permanent memory’.
Everton are now just three points off the top four
It’s felt like a pretty disappointing start to the season for Everton, but back-to-back wins against Fulham and now Man United have drastically changed the landscape.
The Toffees are now sitting just three points behind fourth place, so Moyes’ aspirations of Europe look well on track.
A favourable run of fixtures are also on the horizon, as they play two home games against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle United (H)
Bournemouth (A)
Nottingham Forest (H)
Both are languishing in the bottom half of the table, so they’ll be looking to take maximum points in those fixtures.
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